Our mission

The goal of the Carter Burden Gallery is to create a dialogue with the arts community supporting our belief that older, lesser-known artists must not be overlooked due to age or decreased marketability in the current art scene. We demonstrate the transformative nature of art; the work we exhibit is vibrant, cutting-edge and important regardless of the artist's age.

Carter Burden Gallery targets NYC artists over the age of 60, fostering a supportive and culturally-diverse community of re- emerging artists. We celebrate this community's unique ability to share lifetimes participating as vital members of New York's arts culture, and work to create opportunities for networking and responding to each other's work, thereby invigorating the creative process. In recognizing this community, we confirm their continued value and contribution to the arts.

Our history

Established in 1971, the Carter Burden Network (CBN), formerly the Carter Burden Center for the Aging, promotes the well being of people 60 and older through a continuum of services, advocacy and volunteer programs oriented to individual, family and community needs. For more information view the CBN brochure here.

In furtherance of the CBN's goals, and in recognizing the unique cultural wealth possessed by older professional artists, the Carter Burden Gallery was born. While giving older artists an opportunity to show their work and engage in current contemporary artistic discourse, CBG recognizes that these opportunities are hard-won and often difficult to achieve. Therefore, CBG is committed to empowering re-emerging, professional older artists through the exhibition and cultivation of their work.

Who we are

The Carter Burden Gallery is curated by Gallery Director Marlena Vaccaro, a painting, printmaking and mixed-media artist who holds an MFA from Pratt Institute. Vaccaro previously owned and curated a Tribeca gallery from 1982-88 while also operating a printmaking studio. The gallery's Assistant Director, Sarah Leon holds a BFA in Painting and Drawing from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and is a painter.

Our space

The gallery configuration has capitalized on available space, creating three distinct exhibition spaces: the larger East Gallery, a West gallery, and a 7 feet by 18 feet space immediately outside the gallery for experimental public art installation ("On The Wall").